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This homemade Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream has all the flavors with its creamy ice cream, graham crackers, and a sweet and tangy cherry ribbon swirled throughout!
Cheesecake is a dessert that we make quite often in our house. It's my husband's favorite, so whenever he asks for a treat, there is a good chance that is what he's asking for. Okay, minus the times he asks for chocolate chip cookies, but those tend to get made a lot in general for him, lol.
If you've ever made cheesecake, you know it's not really hard to make, but it does tend to take a little bit of time to do so. Our daughters love cheesecake too, but they also love ice cream. When our youngest asked me if there was a way to combine them into one dessert, we got to work.
We've decided to add in our favorite summer cherries with it because cherries and cheesecake are just begging to be together! I mean, who doesn't love a good slice of cherry cheesecake?
Why You Will Love This Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- It Tastes JUST like cherry cheesecake.
- It has a rich and creamy base with chunks of crumbled graham crackers and a sweet and tangy cherry swirl.
- It is effortless to make. This recipe has NO EGGS, so there is no need to take the extra steps in tempering the eggs like traditional ice cream.
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Ingredients in Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Milk
- Heavy Cream
- Cream Cheese
- Sugar
- Cherries
- Lemon Juice + Zest
- Gluten-free Graham Crackers
I use my homemade grain-free graham crackers in this recipe, but if you don't want to make your own, you can use any gluten-free graham crackers that you like, such as Kinnikinnick graham crackers.
Fresh or Frozen Cherries
You can use either one for this recipe. With it being summer right now, all the fresh cherries are in season, so that's what we've been using. If all you have is frozen, you will need to let the cherry sauce cook a little longer to release the extra liquid.
Tips and Tricks
- Don't use 2% or low-fat milk or cream for this recipe; it contains a lot more water, and it can cause this ice cream to become icier.
- Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before you blend the ice cream base together. This step will help ensure you get the smoothest results.
- Dairy-free? This particular recipe is not dairy-free. However, I have had luck getting good results using my dairy-free vanilla ice cream recipe and adding 8oz of a dairy-free/lactose-free cream cheese substitute and used that as the base. Once I have that, I add the cherry sauce and graham crackers for the cherry cheesecake ice cream.
Do you need an ice cream maker?
Nope! You can make this ice cream without an ice cream maker. Once you have your base ice, layer it with the graham crackers and cheery sauce into a freezer-safe container and let it chill till it's solid, usually overnight.
I personally think it comes out creamier with an ice cream maker, but it still turns out delicious without one.
Storing and Serving
We make ice cream a lot in our house, and so I like to use reusable ice cream containers to store the finished treats in. However, you can use any freezer-safe container you want.
If you want to help keep ice crystals out of the ice cream, I recommend placing a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface once it's solid before you store it.
How to Make Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Make the Graham Crackers (if making); otherwise, break up the gluten-free graham crackers.
- Make the cherry sauce and let it cool.
- Blend the ice cream base together.
- Process the base in an ice cream maker or see notes on the no-churn method.
- Let it chill and enjoy!
More Frozen Treats
Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Equipment
- ice cream maker
Ingredients
- 1 C Whole Milk
- 2 C Heavy Whipping Cream
- 8 Oz Cream Cheese
- 1 + ¼ C Sugar separated
- 2 C Pitted Cherries
- 1 Lemon zested and juiced
- ¼ C Water
- 1 ½ C Graham Cracker Pieces about 2-3 crackers worth
Instructions
If you are making graham crackers, I suggest making them ahead of time or just break your favorite gluten-free graham crackers into pieces.
For the Cherry Sauce
- Combine the pitted cherries, water, sugar, lemon juice and zest into a medium saucepan.
- Allow the berries to cook over medium heat until they start to break down, and the liquid begins to thicken. You might need to help break the cherries up with a potato masher.
- Allow the sauce to cool while you make the ice cream base.
Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Bring the cream cheese to room temperature.
- Combine all the base ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
To Make Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream
In an Ice Cream Maker
- Process the cheesecake ice cream base in an ice cream maker until the cheesecake ice cream is almost set.
- Sprinkle in the graham crackers and cherry sauce until it is swirled in.
- Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container until solid.
For No-Churn
- Layer the ice cream base, cherry sauce, and graham cracker pieces into a freezer-safe container
- Line the top with plastic wrap touching the surface and freeze until solid, usually overnight.
Notes
- Don’t use 2% or low-fat milk or cream for this recipe, it contains a lot more water, and it can cause this ice cream to become icier.
- Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before you blend the ice cream base together. This step will help ensure you get the smoothest results.
- Dairy-free? This particular recipe is not dairy-free. However, I have had luck getting good results using my dairy-free vanilla ice cream recipe and adding 8oz of a dairy-free/lactose-free cream cheese substitute and used that as the base. Once I have that, then I add in the cherry sauce and graham crackers for the cherry cheesecake ice cream.
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